Oklahoma Settles With Three Opioid Distributors at Over $250 Million

Opioid distributors McKesson, Cardinal and AmerisourceBergen have agreed to pay a $250 million settlement to the state of Oklahoma over their alleged roles in the opioid epidemic.

Oklahoma had previously rejected a national settlement that included the three distributors. The state’s attorney general John O’Connor said the national deal “would have short-changed Oklahomans.”

The settlement agreement requires the companies to establish a clearinghouse that consolidates data from all three distributors that can be used by state regulators to prevent diversion of prescription opioids.

The state plans to use the settlement to help fund addiction prevention and treatment programs.